


Burden of Chaos

by Jevil_Joss



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action and violence, Existential Crisis, Interdimensional Travel, Spoilers for First 5 seasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29936964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: Blake had always felt slightly different from everyone else around her. She was finally beginning to learn why.
Kudos: 2





	1. Unwelcome Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Ooookay, so bear with me a moment. A lot of the OCs in this fic appear in a bunch of other fics I've written. If you want to know more about the organization Ravenwing and the character of the Night Haunt, read the two short fics in the 'Legend of the Night Haunt' series. Everything you need to know is brought up over the duration of this fic. Hope you enjoy!

Blake Belladonna had had weird dreams before. She shook herself, however, because this one didn't feel like a dream. She knew she slept, but a large part of her mind screamed at her to find her way home. 

It was a barren landscape. Large bones stuck out of the ground, haphazardly. Dead bushes lay scattered about. As Blake took hesitant steps, the gravel crunched beneath her feet. How had she gotten here, anyway? She'd had her day at school. She'd talked with her friends, read her book. She'd spent a moment getting teased by Yang for reading romance novels. Laughed about it later. Went to bed. 

And now, Blake stood here. How? She looked down at herself, seeing that her body--wasn't really a body? It was little more than a shadowy outline of her figure, no clothing, weapon, or anything. It looked...distressingly like one of the shadows created by her Semblance. 

_I am not really here._

The thought comforted her. Confusingly, she knew it to be true, but couldn't for the life of her say why. It was like how you instinctively had flavors that were 'bad' or 'good'. No real logic behind it, simply knowledge that this 'is'.

Movement caught her attention. She turned, seeing nothing. Then, from around what appeared to be a colossal rib, came a familiar, if more skeletal, shape. Something told of in ancient fairy tales, something that the heroes always killed by the end of the story. A dragon. With only two legs, she briefly thought that it was more of a wyvern, but would it be rude to say that to its face? Bones rattled as it came into view--it was much bigger than the bone it had been hiding behind. Perhaps it had used teleportation of some kind?

The dragon's face came alongside her, and a voice spoke. Though the jawbones didn't move, Blake assumed it was the dragon speaking. "Why did you come here?" It sounded vaguely masculine, but had far more of a throaty growl than Blake would have assumed could be made by a creature with no throat to speak of or with. Was it even the dragon's real voice, or was it using some other form of communication? 

"I didn't choose to come here," Blake retorted. She regretted it almost immediately--the creature could probably kill her without too much difficulty. Then again...she was actually perfectly safe, wasn't she? Either this was a dream, or she was asleep in her bed at Beacon while her mind wandered to this place. 

"Not consciously, it appears," the dragon intoned, circling her. It kept its face within feet of her. "This...is how you appeared? It's barely a form at all."

"What is going on?" Blake demanded. "You seem to know a whole lot about this for someone I've never met."

"Oh, you don't remember me? I'm hurt. You were still an egg back then, but still."

Blake almost snapped at him, but something stopped her. He did _sound_ familiar. Had she heard him speak before? But it was impossible. She'd never been an egg--had she?

"I'd planned for our reunion to be later...and perhaps it still should be," he said. "You've only just come into your power today, it seems. It's going to be rocky for a bit, and then....it gets a whole lot better, trust me. But politics rarely let things be as they should--be cautious, and be careful even of familiar faces. The Silver Reaper has found out about your existence, and she will not tolerate another Chaos Lord to rise. I'll be close by, in case you need me."

"Wha--where is this place? Who are you?"

"This is my house," the dragon answered, "and I am a god. Now, RETURN!"

Blake sat bolt upright, gasping and withholding a cry. She breathed deeply as she heard Yang's voice besides her. "Shh, shh. It's okay. Just a bad dream, kay?"

Blake nodded, catching her breath. Then a thought occurred to her. "What are you doing up?" she asked. 

"Returning from the bath room," Yang whispered. "Saw you tossing and turning, thought I should stay up a minute."

Blake checked her alarm clock--7:00 AM. Too late to go back to bed, but early enough to make her uncomfortable. Thank the gods that it was Saturday, and thus, her day off. She got up and opened the window, breathing in a cool, fresh breeze. Refreshing her thoughts. "I'm fine," she told Yang. "Thanks for you concern, though. It was just a weird dream."

"Tell me about it later," Yang ordered with a grin, hopping up to the top bunk. Blake smiled, looking out the window. She froze immediately. On the roof of the closest building she saw a figure in pure white armor, cloak flapping about her. She carried a metal staff in one hand, a sword sheathed at her side. She was too far away for Blake to see her face. The figure turned around and hopped off the side of the building, and even from the distance, Blake got the distinct feel of casualness in the way she jumped. 

_Was that...the "Silver Reaper"? Wasn't...wasn't that just a dream?_


	2. Ascent

"You're awfully quiet today, Blake," Ruby said, during breakfast. She sat across from Blake, with Weiss by her side. Yang sat close to Blake's side, flipping through some game on her phone. 

"Isn't she always quiet?" Weiss answered. 

"I mean, more so than usual," Ruby added. "What's up?"

"Didn't get much sleep last night," Blake said. 

"Nightmares?" Yang asked cautiously. 

"It...wasn't really a nightmare," Blake said. "It was...just weird."

"Well?" Yang asked, smiling. 

"Uh...no thanks. I'm just...in thought this morning."

"Whatcha thinking about?" Ruby asked, chewing. 

Blake looked at her, seeing a well of power in the small girl. Ruby was surrounded by a pale white aura. Blake looked to Weiss and Yang--both looked normal. Neither had made any note of the strange aura surrounding Ruby. 

"I just...need some time to myself," Blake said, rising from the table. She pushed her plate of uneaten food away, walking off. 

She managed to avoid bumping into anyone as she got out of Beacon and walked to a park situated right near the school. Sitting down on a bench, she leaned back, looking up at the sky. It hadn't been a dream, she realized. 

_What 'power' did I come into? And what's going on with Ruby? What is going on?_ She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around everything. As she looked up, her eyes met a pair of silver eyes across the park. The armored figure from that morning sat on a bench, thirty feet away. She looked away, as if she hadn't been watching Blake. Her staff lay against the bench next to her, and similar to Ruby, a white aura surrounded her--though it didn't seem like it was as big. Blake stiffened, looking around the park. She didn't see anyone else like that. Who was that person? 

Whatever the case, if that person was the Silver Reaper, then it seemed like she wanted to kill Blake. Why, though? And would she attempt it with so many people about?

"Blakey?" Yang sat down next to her, reaching out and putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"You see that person in white over there?" Blake said, pointing.

Yang squinted, then nodded. "She seems very interested in her staff."

"She's been spying on me. I saw her this morning, on one of the roofs."

"Think she's with Roman?"

Blake considered the thought. "I think this goes above Roman, Yang. I--I was warned about her in my dream. I think...he said 'Silver Reaper'."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Yang held up a hand, making sure no one else was close enough to hear before whispering, "You mean...your dream, what, predicted the future or something like that?"

"In my dream...I'd been transported somewhere. Not transported, but...I was there. I can't really explain...but...I met something there. This...it was..." She shook her head. "I don't know. But he sounded like he knew a lot. And he said...'The Silver Reaper will not allow another Chaos Lord to rise'."

"Umm..." Yang ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe it was just a dream. Perhaps you saw her tailing you the other day, and it influenced your dream."

"Does Ruby..." Blake stopped herself. "Yeah. I guess your right."

"She's probably just with Roman or--she's gone," Yang said, looking around. "Come on. Let's get back to them."

"Alright." Blake stood up, looking around for the Reaper. _It was just a dream,_ she tried to tell herself. She followed Yang through the crowd, back into Beacon. Yang trudged quickly, rounded a corner, and ran right into Ozpin. 

"Ah--sorry!" Yang said, backing up and straightening. "You okay, Professor?"

Ozpin glowed a light green. He looked smiled, holding up empty hands. "I'd left my mug of cocoa in the teacher's lounge. I was on my way back to get it."

"Oh. Sorry again!" Yang continued on past him, and Blake slowly followed her. 

"Did Ozpin look weird to you today?" Blake asked Yang. 

"Nope. Why you asking?"

"No reason."

"Blakey, don't do this to me," Yang said, leading the way back to their dormitory. "What's going on?"

"He was glowing." 

"Sorry?"

"Same with Ruby, and same with this 'Reaper' person. All three of them are glowing, but no one else seems to notice this."

"Uh--do you think this has anything to do with your Semblance?"

"My Semblance creates copies of myself," Blake pointed out. "I also feel like I'd know if it was my Semblance causing this."

"I think you just haven't gotten enough sleep here lately," Yang suggested. She opened the door into the dormitory, saying quietly, "Just tell me if the problem keeps up, kay?" Out loud, to Ruby and Weiss, she said, "Someone's spying on Blake."

"What?" Ruby asked, alarmed. "Who?"

"A woman in white armor and cloak," Blake said. 

"Does she look like she's with the White Fang?" Weiss asked. 

"I don't know if she's a Faunus or not," Blake said. "Look, I'm not sure if this is the White Fang."

"It's too early to assume anything just yet," Yang said. "In the meantime, don't walk around without weapons, and keep an eye out."

"Yeah. I'll mention this to Ozpin," Ruby said with a nod. "Is our only description, 'woman in white'? Ooh, that sounds catchy."

Blake started to speak up, but Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Blakey."

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked. 

Blake took a deep breath sorting out her thoughts, before sitting down on her bed. Sharing her troubles was something she still had trouble with--but looking at her friends, she knew she could face her troubles head on. 

"I think...this isn't just some general targeting. I think she's after me."


	3. The Silver Reaper

"Okay. That's a bit to take in." Ruby sat beside Weiss, Yang sat beside Blake. Blake's words hung in the air, tension slowly rising. "So...this dream...you think it was real?"

Blake nodded. "I don't know what any of this means, but--Ruby, you are glowing right now. I have been getting at least enough sleep. I wasn't even that stressed. But...it just felt real."

"A lot of things feel real," Weiss pointed out. "Everyone's had dreams that felt real, right?"

"Yes, but..." Blake looked to Yang for help. 

Yang awkwardly scratched her head. "I mean, he said you were in an egg," Yang said. "Like, what do I even say to that?"

"How about you ask your parents on that one?" Ruby suggested. "I mean, wouldn't they know if things happened normally or...you were in an egg?"

"I...am not currently on the best of terms with my parents," Blake admitted. "We...had a big argument last time we talked."

"Oh."

"But there's another way we can tell," Weiss said confidently. "DNA testing."

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Last I checked, neither humans nor Faunus are born from eggs," Weiss proclaimed. "So...if you aren't Faunus, we could confirm it. If you are, wouldn't that make you feel better?"

"I...don't think that's a good idea," Blake said, drawing her lips to a line. 

"Why not?" Ruby said. "I mean, wouldn't it be nice to get a straight 'yes or no'?"

"...Atlas technology might recognize my DNA...from one or two...'accidents'...that happened a bit back. You know, if they got, say, a hair sample..."

"Oh." Silence fell at that. 

"Well, the school is full of armed and at least semi-trained Huntsmen, isn't it?" Yang offered. "This Silver Reaper person wouldn't dare come in here. And Qrow knows how to keep things on the quiet side, so I'll ask him about it when I get the chance. Is that--"

A knock came at the door, polite and refrained. "Can I come in?" Ironwood's voice asked. 

"General Ironwood?" Weiss burst out, surprised. 

"Er, come in?" Ruby said. As the door opened, she added, "Uh, what brings you here? Sir?"

The General turned to Weiss and said, "Your sister is in critical condition."

On the way to the infirmary, Ironwood explained. "Very recently, past few days, a sort of gang war appears to have been started. Except it was completely out of the ordinary--the weapons used were off the charts, especially concerning non-Dust based weapons. They weren't affiliated with any gang we had previously known about, and no corpses were left. No matter how many fatalities civilians reported, no corpses have yet been found. And some of the sightings...were quite odd. But Winter manage to predict where the next fight would happen. It was repeating in a few select areas, she noted, and managed to arrive with a platoon of soldiers during one of these fights. While they did succeed in ending the fighting early...the leader of one of the sides, so we assume, fought Winter." He opened the door, showing Weiss inside. "I'll give you two a minute." 

Blake caught a brief glimpse of Winter, almost completely head to toe in bandages, before the door swung closed. 

"Gods," Yang whispered. "And these guys just...appeared?"

"Yes. We have assumed until now that they were affiliated with Roman--but they are clearly two opposing factions," Ironwood explained. "It's now a lot less clear what is going on."

"What are you going to do?" Ruby asked. 

"We're trying to round up our best Huntsmen, but...I'm not sure what we _can_ do. This leader...her armor was pretty much indestructible. Winter's sword broke against it."

The door opened, and Weiss, face streaked with tears, stepped out. "She's sleeping," Weiss said. 

"She'll probably recover," Ironwood said comfortingly. 

"Who did it?"

Ironwood pulled out a picture from a pocket. "The Knights took some pictures during the fight--that's the one that beat Winter."

Weiss stared, then paled. She handed the picture to Blake, who felt a sinking in her stomach. "It's her," she whispered. "The woman who was in the park this morning."

_The Silver Reaper._

"You saw her?" Ironwood asked, alarmed.

Blake nodded carefully. "She was sitting in the park."

"I'll send men out to keep watch. If we see her...we'll take her down. Or at least limit her movement long enough for our best men to get out there. I'm calling in the Ace Ops from Atlas--they'll be here as fast as they can."

"We...we need a moment." Ruby lead her team away, slowly. 

"The dragon didn't bring me there," Blake said quietly. "I went there. So...if I can go back...I can figure out who the Reaper is, and how we stop her."

"If you can, do it," Weiss said bitterly. 

"Do you think you necessarily have to be sleeping?" Ruby asked. 

"Only one way to find out," Blake said, sitting down on her bed. Not sure what else to do, she closed her eyes and crossed her legs. _I need to see you,_ she thought. _I need to go there._ She sat for a minute longer. She gritted her teeth, trying to reach that place, however she could. 

"Blake?"

"Sorry. I don't think it's working." 

"You might want to open your eyes."

Blake snapped her eyes open. A violet rift had opened in the middle of the room, and a violet eye peaked through. "You don't have to call so loudly," the voice said quietly. "Is this where you're living? I doubt your neighbors would like this sight very much, no, no, no." 

In response, Ruby locked the door. 

"I don't understand," Blake whispered. 

"When I heard your call, I decided to pop over real quick," the dragon answered. "But I don't have long. I'm trying to help you, but politics are making this more difficult than it needed to be. So, be quick, little one. What is it you need?"

"The Reaper. Who is she, how do we stop her?"

The dragon didn't respond for a long moment. "Your powers perhaps can, but she is Ravenwing's elite for a reason. Little any of the rest of you do can do much to her. Your best course of action is to stay safe and wait for Ravenwing to handle their renegades."

"She hurt my sister," Weiss hissed. "How do we make her pay?" 

The eye turned to her. "Few people have taken on the Silver Reaper successfully. With Rosetta in her current state, and the other Chaos Lords not wanting to help and not being able to, the only two that are in the area are Star and the Night Haunt--one of whom is trying, the other-- _crap._ " The eye looked away, seeing something on this side of the portal. "That would be my jailor. Help is on the way, just hold tight."

"Wait--what is going--"

The portal closed. 

"No, no, no!" Blake cried, jumping up. "All you left me with is more questions!"

"Well, we have answers," Yang said. "The people who can stop her are on the way."

"Star. Night Haunt." Weiss collapsed onto her bed, holding her head. "I...it can't just be like that. We have to do something. We..."

"Blake. He said...the 'other' Chaos Lords?" Ruby asked, thinking. 

"Yeah."

"And what did he saw the first time you saw him?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'd just come into power," Yang whispered. 

"Maybe...Chaos Lord is some sort of title," Ruby theorized. "The power passes around. He has the power of one, and you inherited the power from another, and the Silver Reaper...hates them?"

"'She won't allow another one to rise'," Blake quoted.

"So she's trying to keep you from rising," Ruby said. "But...if you have this power...than can't you find those two? Star and the Night Haunt?"

"If we can find them, then we can stop the Reaper faster so more people don't get hurt," Yang finished. "But...we don't know who either of them are."

"Blake somehow found the dragon," Weiss pointed out. "She's never met him before--or at least doesn't remember him. Maybe she can use whatever did that to lead her to the Night Haunt, or Star, or whoever it is that can take down the Reaper."

"I think it's worth a shot," Blake said. "And being able to get some _answers_ for _why_ someone's trying to kill me--and what this power is--"

"I think we'll be safer if we're out and about in the daylight," Ruby said. "Whoever the Reaper's followers are, their attacks are likely to fail in the daytime with a lot of people about."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Yang said, jumping up. "Let's go!"


	4. Broad Daylight

"How do I even do this?" Blake wondered aloud. 

"Maybe...just want to see them enough? Let's start with looking for the Night Haunt--sounds like an interesting character," Yang said. 

Blake considered. "I...I think it's different with them than with the dragon. Even the first time...I've met him before, I just can't remember. I don't think I've ever met the Night Haunt--what do I look for?"

"I don't know," Ruby said in reply. "What does someone who calls themself 'the Night Haunt' dress like?"

"There are probably other ways to find them," Weiss said. She'd calmed down somewhat since they left Beacon, and now she spoke with a somewhat level tone. "You said that Ruby was glowing, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"And Professor Ozpin, and the Reaper herself. What about the dragon?"

"Slightly differently for him and Ozpin...but yeah."

"Have you looked at yourself?" Weiss pulled out her scroll, putting it in sleep mode and showing Blake. Blake peaked at her reflection, seeing what almost appeared to be violet flames surrounding her. She shuddered. "Yeah. It's...not Aura. It's something more."

"Maybe it is just Aura," Yang said, "but it's stronger Aura. Because you--we assume--are a Chaos Lord, your soul is now super strong. The rest of us are fairly average--"

"But what about Ruby?" Blake pointed out. "Why is her soul so strong? Even stronger than Ozpin's."

"That's not actually important," Ruby said. "Because anyone who can take on the Reaper--like the Night Haunt--would have to have a soul as strong as hers, or as much power, or whatever."

"So just find someone with a very strong soul and ask them if they're the Night Haunt," Blake finished. "Not perfect, but...good as we're getting." She looked from side to side, then said, "This might take a while." She stepped back, leaning against a wall. "Is this really going to work?" 

"Blake?" the three of them cried out.

"What?" Blake stood up straight, weapon out in a flash. "What was it?"

"Your hand...went through the wall." Yang's eyes were wide in shock. "How did you not notice?"

Blake turned back to the wall, seeing it completely normally. "I think it's just a normal wall," she muttered. She moved around the corner, staring at it. She pressed her hand firmly against it, pushing to no effect. "Nothing."

"That part's in the light," Weiss said. 

Blake hesitated, then moved over to the part of the wall in the alley. The sun obscured, the wall rested in shadow. Blake put one hand against it, feeling it sink through. The wall glowed violet where it met her hand. 

"Shadows," Blake whispered. "Like my Semblance." More likely, her Semblance was like her power. 

"Yeah, but what is it doing?" Ruby asked. 

"Only one way to find out. Be right back." Blake took a deep breath, just in case, then stuck her head through the wall. She peaked into a warehouse on what she guessed was the shady side of town. The building was filled with a red light. She appeared to be on the second floor, and in the middle of the room was a large computer module. A swirling vortex of powdered red Dust circled in a pillar in the center of the table, and it sounded like voices were coming from it. Tapping at the monitor was a figure in a red cloak, a crystal broadsword across her back. Silently, she tapped at the monitor while being glowing a fierce red. 

"The Night Haunt," Blake guessed--unfortunately, aloud, courtesy to her lack of sleep. Both the voices and the gentle beeping of the touch screen stopped. The Haunt slowly raised her head as the voices rose to a screaming torrent of noise. Without second thought, Blake pulled herself back through the wall and stepped away. "I think I found her," Blake said, breathing quickly. "I don't think she saw me, but--gods, that was creepy."

"You can travel through shadows," Ruby said. "Cool!"

"Do we say hi?" Yang asked. 

Blake nodded. "I'm...not sure if I can take others with me," Blake said. "I'll introduce myself real quick." She stepped over and bounced off the wall. Pain flared up across her body, almost like an electric shock. "Ah!" She cried out, falling down and away. "I...got blocked?"

Guns cocked. Blake looked up, seeing several men with guns standing in the front of the alleyway. Each had a trench coat patterned to look like a wing, with a helmet over their faces and a blade sheathed at their sides. 

"Ravenwing," Blake said, jumping to her feet. She pulled her sword back out, leveling it at the three soldiers. 

"I see you've heard of us," a familiar, yet distortedly taunting, voice spoke from above. The Silver Reaper leapt from the top of the building they were next to, the pavement cracking beneath her. Blake looked to her, then back to the other Ravenwing soldiers. Silver eyes, black hair. She looked oddly like Ruby. 

"That's not possible," Yang said. "You...you're supposed to be dead."

The Reaper turned to the blonde, eyes narrowing. "I don't believe I know you," she said coldly. 

"How could you not recognize your own daughter!" Yang cried, tears forming.

The Silver Reaper let out a short chuckle. "You're mistaken, girl," she said. "I have no daughters."

"Then why do you have her face?" Ruby snarled. 

"I don't particularly care about explaining the situation to you," Summer scoffed. "I'm here for the Chaos Lord." She pointed the staff at Blake. 

"She's our friend," Yang growled, stepping in between Blake and Summer. 

"Any friendship or trust placed in that thing is a wasted investment," Summer said patiently. 

"I'll take my chances," Weiss said, pointing her blade at Summer. 

"The rest of the Multiverse won't," Summer snorted. "If you stand in my way, you are almost certain to die with her. This is your first, last, and only warning."

"I'm willing to die for my friends and family," Ruby cried, pointing her gun at Summer. Summer shrugged. "Your choice, your funeral." She strode forward, giving her staff a spin. Ruby lunged, meeting her head on. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, Summer swinging towards Ruby's head. 

"Open fire!" one of the soldiers cried, evidently not worried about Summer taking shots. Blake went after them, using her Semblance to jump over them. She slashed, and they blocked with their guns as they backed off. In melee now, they swapped to the blades and jabbed at her. She ducked back, taking Yang's hand and throwing her around. Yang slammed into the first of the grunts, sending him sliding backwards into the street. Immediately, a car tried but failed to stop in time and ran him over. He appeared to live, as he started swearing profoundly. 

The remaining two grunts leapt locked weapons with Blake and Yang, who were now back to back.

Meanwhile, Ruby was thrown backwards into wall. Summer swung her staff, and Ruby managed to duck under it as the bricks above her head shattered. Weiss lunged, slashing and jabbing. Summer blocked with the armor on her hand, then swung her staff. Weiss used a glyph to enhance her block, but the staff crashed through the Semblance and Weiss staggered back and ducked as Summer jabbed forward. She pulled a trigger, firing out the end of the staff. Weiss stepped back, then jabbed back. Summer grabbed hold of the rapier, pulling Weiss off balance and throwing the weapon away. As she started to swing, Ruby crashed into her from behind, knocking her back. Summer's boots grated against the ground as she blocked with her staff. Ruby spun Crescent Rose around a few times, slashing at the Silver Reaper. Summer pulled out her sword and stabbed at Ruby's stomach, throwing the young girl back. Summer lunged, her staff crashing down on top of Ruby. Stone chips flew up from underneath the girl as a gunshot rang out. Summer looked up towards Blake, seeing her two soldiers knocked back. Summer narrowed her eyes, moving to engage Blake. Blake and Yang hadn't taken down the two soldiers, and they pulled their guns back out. 

_We can't take them,_ Ruby realized. "Blake! Yang! Get away!" She waved her hand, frantically. "We'll be fine! You go!"

"No!" Summer cried, lunging forward. Weiss shot out her hand, creating a black glyph which sucked down on the Reaper's foot, causing her to stumble. Blake hesitated, standing still a moment longer. 

"We're not leaving you!" Yang cried. 

"We'll be fine! It's Blake she wants!" Ruby called out. 

"Stay right there!" Summer cried, pulling her foot free from Weiss's glyph. She lunged, striking at Blake. Blake's head snapped at an angle, then the shadow dissipated with Yang. Summer frantically looked back and forth, but saw only the thickening crowd. Summer clenched her fist around her staff, stomping towards Ruby. "You shouldn't have done that," she growled. 

"I disagree with that strongly," Ruby snorted. "You...aren't my mother. Even if you have her face...my mother was kind."

"And my daughter wouldn't have _her_ face," Summer snarled. She lifted one foot, then stomped down. 

" _Sir."_

Summer's foot paused, inches above Ruby's face. The Reaper turned to the first of the Ravenwing soldiers, who'd pulled himself from under a car. "She's innocent. It's the Chaos Lord we're after, remember?"

Summer sheathed her sword, her staff clanging against the ground. "Right. Let's move. I don't want to be here when the competent fighters of this world finally arrive." She pulled up a plate on her vambrace, tapping buttons. A second later, a silver portal opened up. "Let's bring a god down to size."


	5. Run

"Yang...slow down..."

Blake had no idea where they were. Out of breath, she stumbled behind her friend. "We have to go back."

Yang pulled out her scroll, dialing quickly. "Ruby?" she said when her sister answered. 

"Thank the gods! Are you two okay?" Ruby's voice cried. 

"We were so worried," Weiss added. "You got somewhere safe?"

"We...lost them," Yang panted, finally catching her breath. "Are you guys alright?"

"The Reaper wasn't after us," Ruby answered. "She left as soon as Blake did."

Yang sighed in relief, collapsing backwards against a wall. "We were so unprepared for that," she said.

"You're lucky you got away with only bruises," Glynda's voice came. 

"Glynda?" Blake asked, surprised. "Who all is there, Ruby?"

"Uh...Professor Ozpin...Uncle Qrow...General Ironwood...they...I kind of told them."

Blake hung up. Yang spluttered, trying to figure out what to say as Blake paced, covering her face with her hands. "I...why did she..."

"You didn't say not to tell Ozpin, and given the situation--those two having just participated in a fire fight in broad daylight--they really couldn't have avoided telling Ozpin."

Blake nodded. "I guess so." The light dimmed--with a start, she realized the sun was setting. How long had they run? "Where...are we?"

"Not a clue," Yang said, standing up. She looked up and down the street, seeing rows of unfamiliar buildings. "Close to the docks, I'm betting. Those are storage warehouses--that's where we fought the 'Fang, remember?"

"Yeah." Blake narrowed her eyes, seeing the door hanging loosely open on one of the warehouses. She walked closer, curiosity rising. A broken padlock sat on the ground, and with it gone, the massive doors were free to swing open.

And from inside, Blake heard whispering. "This...is the warehouse I saw. The Night Haunt's in here." She rushed inside. 

"Wait!" Yang called out. "We don't know who this person is." She stepped in front of Blake. "Maybe we shouldn't mess with her? It sounded like the people who could stop the Reaper are already on the way."

"I'm not waiting any longer to get some damned answers," Blake growled. "I am completely in the dark. My friends are hurting because some random stranger is trying to kill me for reasons I don't know." She shoved past Yang. The bottom floor of the warehouse looked normal enough, but Blake quickly found the staircase. She climbed, hearing the voices speak louder. They weren't saying anything she could understand, and rose to a scream. Blake covered her ears, wincing. 

"What's wrong?" Yang asked. 

"Don't you hear it? The screaming?" 

Yang looked disturbed. "Maybe we should go," she suggested. 

"No. I have to know." Blake removed her hands, resolve firming as she climbed the steps. She stepped out onto the second floor, moving around a stack of crates. There, in the center of the room was the computer, with the figure standing in front of it. 

Except her cloak was white this time. Summer turned, eyes wide in shock. She seemed just as surprised as Blake to see the other there. As soon as she recovered, Blake turned, but two of the soldiers from that morning blocked her off. 

"I thought...that it was just the Night Haunt's current den," Summer muttered. "Which would have been amazing to just stumble onto under normal circumstances, but a huge waste of time in the current ones. Little did I know that you'd just wander in here." She sat back, laughing her head off. "Oh, boy. Maybe you sensed a kindred spirit in that psycho, and thought you'd say hi." She laughed again, rubbing her face. 

"Why are you trying to kill me?"

Summer stopped abruptly. She looked Blake dead in the eyes. "Why are you trying to pretend you don't know what's going on?" she hissed. "What do you think it'll get you?"

"I don't know what's going on! Who are you? Where are you from? What the hell is a Chaos Lord?" Blake put a hand on her sword as Summer rose, looking flabbergasted. 

"What trick are you trying to pull?" She turned to the computer, laying a hand on the touch screen. "Know that I already got tricked once. I'm not that easy to fool anymore." She smashed the module with her hand, and the screaming abruptly stopped, the torrent of Dust slowly sinking into it. She sighed in relief, picking up her staff. "Whatever. I get nothing from talking to you."

Yang stepped in front of Blake. "Well what about me?" she demanded. "I don't know why you're hurting my friends. Do I get answers?"

"Maybe someone with the time will tell you," Summer scoffed. "Star's just the kind of person who would. But if you try to stop me, I will kill you. Do not stop this."

Yang didn't move. "Stupid kid," Summer said, shaking her head. Then something rattled, and she snapped her head around. "You're still here," she said in shock. Something moved fast, blitzing around the room and past Summer. A cloud of rose petals collided with Blake and she was picked up--more than that, she was gone! Her body had turned into rose petals as well, and she found herself moving fast. "Wait!" she tried to cry out, but couldn't. No sound came. She couldn't get out of it, and was carried through the town, weaving past cars and traffic, as the cloud of petals finally came to a stop on top of a closed diner. Blake reappeared, falling to the roof and rolling, quickly coming onto her feet. "Bring me back!" she demanded, but found herself face to face with a pure white Grimm mask. A single eyehole stood in the center of the mask, large enough for both the wearer's eyes to peak through it, and red lines all pointed towards it from the sides. Blake stumbled, falling backwards. 

The figure took off the mask, and Blake blinked in surprise. Her jaw dropped as Ruby slipped the mask into a pocket of her dress. 

"So you're a Chaos Lord," the girl muttered. Upon a second look, Blake saw that her skin was deathly pale, and that red cracks covered her face, all pointing towards her eyes, which were a deep red. "Thought your kind was bigger. I'm a bit disappointed, really."

"Who...what..." Blake slid back, confused. "Ruby?"

"Hmm, not the one you're thinking of," Ruby answered. "I'm surprised, too. I thought knowledge of the Multiverse was just ingrained in you guys."

"What are you talking about? We--we need to back for Yang! She's--"

"--Gonna make it out alright, knowing her," Ruby said, shaking her head. "Always was strong, my step-sister."

"But you're not even worried about her?"

"I know Yang Xiao Long better than I know myself. And I've played the Reaper as the greatest instrument you've ever seen. No, I am not worried about the two of them in the same room. I'm more curious about you, actually." She bent over, grinning. "What's your story?"

"Are...you the Night Haunt?"

"Ah." She stepped back, putting one hand on her chest and extending the other to the side. "The one and only."


End file.
